and there is something about the way you love me that feels like home
by daisymeadowss
Summary: After a month of absence, Gansey finally returns to Henrietta with no one waiting to welcome him home. Or so he thinks.


**for the prompt "Finding the other wearing their clothes" originally posted on tumblr**

* * *

As Gansey parks his Suburban in front of Monmouth Manufacturing, he casts a look at his phone and wonders if it's too late to call 300 Fox Way and ask for Blue. _11.41 pm_ does seem like an inappropriate time to disturb them but Blue is still yet to have a phone so he has no other means to contact her. If it were up to him, he would have remedied that already, but every time he brings up the subject, Blue glares at him dangerously, and he's either too intimated or too lovesick to push the issue.

So his only options are to call their landline, or wait until tomorrow morning and drive over to surprise her with his early return from D.C. A surprise visit does sound nice, but after a month of absence, he doesn't think he can wait a minute more to see her again. He's ready to abandon his less beloved (but more reliable) car in favor of the Pig waiting for him faithfully in the parking lot, and whisk her away to wherever she wanted to go if she only said the word.

His heart wins out over his manners, and soon, he's dialing the familiar number even before he's out of the car and up the stairs of Monmouth.

Orla picks up, as she usually does any time Gansey calls them, her lazy voice purring into the receiver. "Hello?"

"Orla, hello. It's Gansey."

"Oh, Richie Rich. Hey."

"I was wondering if Blue was available to talk."

"Blue?" Orla laughs, although Gansey can't imagine what's so amusing about the question. "Sorry, Richie Rich, she's not home."

"Oh." Gansey deflates, momentarily pausing on his way up the stairs. "Where is she, if I may ask?"

"You may but I'm not sure Blue would want me to tell you. Girl code and all, you understand, right?"

"Of course," Gansey nods, though he's not sure he understands at all. Nevertheless, he thanks Orla for her assistance, and, dejected, he trudges the rest of the way up to Monmouth.

He's missed his home, sure, and he's missed the Pig more, but he's missed Blue the most. Ronan has officially moved back to the Barns after months of unofficially living there anyway, and it's silly, but suddenly, Gansey feels depressingly lonely at the thought of walking into an empty building with no one to welcome him home. Perhaps he should have alerted someone of his earlier arrival after all, but in the spur of the moment, he thought it was a better idea to surprise everyone instead.

He's only been gone a month but it feels like a lifetime. Gansey hadn't been very keen on the idea of spending his July in Washington to work under his father's friend in a multinational oil company, but his parents got him this internship without his permission, and Gansey couldn't say no. Not after telling them that he was skipping college to go wandering around America with his girlfriend.

With his thoughts stuck on Blue, his friends, and where Blue might be at this hour, Gansey steps inside to survey the dark and empty and utterly uninviting living room. It's the kind of quiet Gansey feels uncomfortable with.

Not bothering to turn on the lights, he discards his suitcase, and moves to his bed, eager to sleep off the disappointment he feels. But standing at the foot of his bed, he stops short in surprise.

Blue is there, wrapped up in his blanket, her arms curled around his pillow, sleeping soundly. So soundly, in fact, that despite the thrill of seeing her here, he doesn't have the heart to wake her.

Gansey smiles to himself. He's inappropriately pleased to find Blue sleeping in his bed, during his absence, no less. He wonders how many times she sneaked in here while he was gone, and if the smell of him on the pillows made her dream of him as often as he dreamed of her. An image of Blue creeps into his mind: her, coming here at night, alone and longing, presumably just to feel closer to him. Settling under the covers and sniffing the pillows, wishing he was there to hold her.

Gansey stops himself there. He quickly and quietly changes into his pajamas, and slips into bed with Blue. His foul mood has vanished completely. He wraps his arms around her waist to pull her against his chest, briefly noting the fact that she's wearing one of his shirts.

"Gansey?" Blue croaks, voice heavy with sleep.

"Yeah, it's me," he whispers, and presses a quick kiss against her neck. She hums contentedly. "Go back to sleep."

"Okay," she sighs, settling against him comfortably. They fit together with an ease that still amazes Gansey. He's missed it. It's a good thing he came home tonight, after all.

* * *

The first thing he feels in the morning is Blue pressing kisses to his nose, the strands of her hair tickling his cheek. She grins at him as he opens his eyes and squints against the bright sunlight, and she looks so beautiful and happy in that moment that he never wants to look away from her.

"You're here," she says, a touch of incredulity in her voice.

"I'm here. Surprise."

She laughs and throws her arms around his neck, pushing herself on top of him as their lips meet in a deep kiss. Her warm body pressed up against his, Gansey thinks that he very much likes this kind of welcome back greeting, and perhaps he should leave more often. He says as much to her when she pulls away from him.

Blue punches his shoulder. "Don't you dare."

"Why?" he grins playfully. "I'm reward with passionate kisses and finding you sleeping in my bed, _in my shirt_ ," Gansey trails off, fingering the collar of his lavender colored polo shirt. "It seems to me that it's very much worth it."

Blue huffs but avoids his eyes. He can tell she's flustered by the blush creeping across her neck, and he finds it absolutely endearing.

"You've been gone a long time, I've missed you." She shrugs, defensive. "It was a spur of the moment idea."

"Oh?" He raises his eyebrows, his face composed, but he knows his eyes give away the mirth he's feeling. "That's strange because I've been looking for this shirt for months. How long have you had it?"

Blue coughs and looks away. "I haven't had it, I found it... here. Don't be surprised you can't find your things if you never clean up after yourself."

Gansey has another teasing comment sitting on his lips but Blue, still perched on top of him, cuts him off by kissing him again, more forcefully than the last time. It's always been her favorite distraction strategy. It worked too, most of the time, because luckily for her, Gansey appreciated the tactic.

He sputters a laugh against her mouth, and manages to break away long enough to say, "I see what you're doing, and I have to say... it's working."

"Good," Blue grins mischievously. "Because like I said, I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," he admits, voice softer. "All jokes aside, it's been a long month."

"Definitely," Blue agrees, biting her lip. Gansey can't take his eyes off her: sitting on top of him like that, wearing only his shirt and that expression, she looks more attractive than anyone should have the right to be. Good thing no one knows he's back because he's not ready to leave the sanctuary of his bed just yet.


End file.
